While Motorola is apparently preparing an upper mid-range phone with a Samsung-made processor and trendy hole-punch design after the recent release of a humbler Moto G7 lineup, we haven't heard much about the company's possible high-end plans for this year. That changes today with the first substantial leak of a Moto Z4 naturally expected to follow in the footsteps of the 5G-upgradable Moto Z3.

Sourced from an insider described as reliable by the folks over at 91mobiles, this relatively high-quality press render paints the Moto Z4 a pretty familiar picture on multiple levels.

Subtle notch, same old Moto Mods support, interesting camera choice

While Samsung seems to believe a hole is better than a notch, releasing the flagship Galaxy S10 lineup with "Infinity-O" displays and leaving "Infinity-U" and "Infinity-V" designs for mid-range models like the Galaxy A40 and A20, Motorola is expected to do the opposite thing and implement a waterdrop-style notch on the high-end Moto Z4. The U-shaped screen cutout remains one of the most elegant ways of reducing bezels, although obviously, it can't help us get rid of the infamous "chin."

That being said, there's clearly not enough room for a "motorola" logo on the bottom bezel of the freshly depicted Moto Z4, so even though we're not looking at a truly edge-to-edge affair here, a much higher screen-to-body ratio than that of the Z3 is definitely on the cards. Unsurprisingly, the back of the Z4 looks largely similar to the rear cover of its predecessor, with the same exact 16-pin Moto Mods connecting system in tow ensuring backwards compatibility with the company's full portfolio of magnetic add-ons.

The Moto Z3 has two rear-facing cameras

Undoubtedly, that includes a Verizon-exclusive 5G Moto Mod that recently went up for pre-order at Big Red ahead of a long overdue commercial rollout in April. Thus, the Moto Z4 is unlikely to support the cellular speeds of tomorrow right out of the box. But fret not, as Qualcomm's hot new Snapdragon 855 processor is still rumored to run the show under the Z4's hood.

Alas, the rest of the specs are mostly kept under wraps, but it's safe to assume that lone shooter mounted on the back of this bad boy will be something special. Did anyone say 100 megapixels? That might be a bit of a stretch, unlike a 48MP imaging sensor already incorporated by a couple of Huawei handsets and also tipped for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy A90.

What happened to the Moto Z4 Play?

If it feels like you've seen this exact same design before, and not just the mainly similar look of the Z3, that's probably because a different source leaked the phone as the Moto Z4 Play back in January. According to 91 mobiles however, Motorola is thinking of skipping this year's Play release, focusing entirely on a "regular" Moto Z4. That would be a first, although we can't say we're shocked to hear this theory.

There might not be a Moto Z4 Play in the pipeline after all

After all, the Moto Z family originally included three models, which was quickly deemed unnecessary. A Moto Z2 Force and Z2 Play followed in 2017, while last year's Z3 and Z3 Play were perhaps the most confusing variants of their name. While the Z3 Play is obviously the lower-end model, the standard Z3 was not exactly on par with the best 2018 phones, packing a Snapdragon 835 SoC.

If there's no Z4 Play in the pipeline though, it will be interesting to see whether or not Verizon gets exclusive dibs on the Moto Z4. We're guessing not, but it might just be wise to wait for official confirmation on Motorola's 2019 high-end plans. By the way, if this is indeed the Z4 rather than the Z4 Play, it makes it a lot easier to believe the setup will include an in-display fingerprint scanner.

posted on Mar 20, 2019, 8:41 AM 1

Posts: 792; Member since: Aug 28, 2018

posted on Mar 20, 2019, 8:58 AM 2

Posts: 494; Member since: Dec 30, 2014

I'm digging the design. I think the Moto Z4 really fits the edge-to-edge display.
You can go further extending the top and bottom bezels as the chassis has a slight curved all throughout.
Good job, Motorola.
Here's to hoping the camera is as good as the Pixel 3's.

posted on Mar 21, 2019, 1:31 AM 1

* Some comments have been hidden, because they don't meet the discussions rules.

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. You can order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers at https://www.parsintl.com/phonearena or use the Reprints & Permissions tool that appears at the bottom of each web page. Visit https://www.parsintl.com/ for samples and additional information.